Description
The internationally known ‘Aha Punana Leo, Inc. is a non-profit organization which was established in 1983 to revitalize the nearly extinct Hawaiian language and establish schools taught entirely through that language. The following year, the organization founded the first Punana Leo school which was also the first Native American language immersion school in the United States. After the Punana Leo families changed an 1896 law banning Hawaiian language schools, the Punana Leo method of education, along with the first graduates of the program, were taken into the public schools. With strong support from the ‘Aha Punana Leo, that state government program has expanded to the twelfth grade. Presently there are eleven Punana Leo preschools that graduate students and provide growth for such government Hawaiian language schools. The ‘Aha Punana Leo has also initiated two Hawaiian language medium laboratory schools which it runs in cooperation with the Hawai’i State Department of Education and the Ka Haka ‘Ula O Ke’elikolani College of Hawaiian Language of the University of Hawai’i at Hilo. Additional operations include production and distribution of curriculum materials, a post-secondary scholarship program, and other support activities to assist in the revitalization of the Hawaiian language and Hawaiian language education.

Excerpt
Kula Kaiapuni Hawai’i is usually a stream of classes within an English medium school. While children in the English medium classes often admire the ability to speak Hawaiian, they also sometimes tease Kula Kaiapuni Hawai’i students for being different. Although all children tease each other, being teased while in a minority position requires some positive support. This book was written in response to parents' requests for help in dealing with a true-life situation: the derision of Hawaiian cultural practices by non Hawaiian-speaking children. This story provides a traditional strategy for ignoring teasing as well as reinforcement for practices and values of Kula Kaiapuni Hawai’i students that parents view as positive.